The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

Huskies soccer teams hit the pitch

The men’s and women’s soccer teams are back in action after a successful 2013 season.

Both teams scheduled practices to begin on Aug. 8 as well as playing some pre-season exhibition games.

The Huskies men’s team won the Prairie Division of Canada West with an 8–5–2 regular season record and moved through playoffs seamlessly where they would advance to the Canada West Championship. Unfortunately, the Dogs fell to national champions, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

Nationals were up next for the squad, where they lost a heartbreaker 2–1 in overtime to the University of New Brunswick Reds in the quarter-finals. The Dogs would rebound and defeat the Ryerson University Rams on penalty kicks before dropping the fifth place game to the Université de Montréal Carabins.

Head coach Bryce Chapman has been pleased with what he has seen so far.

“Camp has been really good, the team has been focused on the details that will make us stronger as the season approaches,” Chapman said.

The 2014 edition of the team took on the University of Simon Fraser Clan on Aug. 22 and 24 in a pair of exhibition games. The Huskies lost both games but Chapman wasn’t concerned with the final score.

“I was pleased with the performances at SFU,” Chapman said. “Obviously the results were not in our favour but we were managing minutes, still putting pieces together and we came up a quality side.”

The women’s team will also participate in pre-season festivities. They host the Medicine Hat College Rattlers on Aug. 30 and 31.

Coming off a fifth place finish in Canada West, the women’s team will look to build on the momentum they established last fall. They finished the regular season with an 8–2–2 record. They scored 21 goals in those 12 games and allowed only six.

The Dogs lost out in the quarterfinals by a score of 2–0 to the Trinity Western Spartans, who would go on to be national champions.

This season the team will see fresh faces as Jerson Barandica-Hamilton and Janine Harding enter as co-coaches for the women’s team. Meanwhile Bryce Chapman took over the role as as director for the soccer programs, but will also continue to coach the men’s team.

On Sept. 5 the women are on the road to play the University of Winnipeg Wesmen. The men will play their first game at home, on Sept. 6 against the University of Calgary Dinos.

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Because of how important essential fatty acids are for nutrition, they are linked to many health benefits. Fish-oil supplements can help relieve pain, combating muscle stiffness and aches. Some people have found that this may alleviate the delayed-onset muscle soreness experienced after a workout.

People also take fish oil to treat high blood pressure. Moreover, studies have shown that the EPA present in fish oils can reduce fat levels in people with high amounts of triglycerides — the major form of fat in the body.

Mercury levels in these pills are generally low, as they go through a refinement process. As a general rule of thumb, fish-oil pills sourced from non-predatory cold-water fish are the safest in terms of low mercury content. Finding a Natural Product Number on the package specifies that the product was tested for heavy metals, pesticides and toxins.

As for how much you should consume, Health Canada recommends no more than 3 grams of total fish oil per day — meaning EPA plus DHA. As always, consult a doctor or health professional to find out what considerations may apply to your personal health.